Has your career suffered from unintended setbacks like getting laid off, fired, or losing your business? Maybe even repeatedly? In our dynamically changing economy, it looks like those setbacks are not only unavoidable, they are becoming the norm. Lori Bitter is going to share how to turn setbacks into opportunities by teaching you what I call the “art of career resilience”.

Lori has been in the advertising business for the past 30+ years. Currently, she has her own firm, the Business of Aging, advising major brands on how to best communicate to the 50+ market.

A couple of years ago she published The Grandparent Economy, telling the story of the changing role of grandparents in today’s world.

At the age of 28, she started her own firm after she had her second child because the 1980s economy wasn’t as receptive to her needs for more freedom and creative opportunities.

More recently, she ran the Boomer division for J. Walter Thompson before getting laid off in the 2008 economic meltdown. It made her realize it was time to refocus her work back on her need to be creative.

Her career is filled with lessons in resilience, something we all need to practice more to survive and thrive in today’s economy.

Life Skills That Matter In This Episode

Embrace discomfort.
Self-directed learning.
Career resilience.

How Lori Works and Thinks

Wake up time: 7:30 am
Superpower: Resilience/sense of humor
Self-reflection practice: Meditation and staying up late
Book recommendation: The Radical Leap by Steve Farber
90-day goal: Launching a new product

Inspirational Quotes

“I knew I wanted to be creative and the corporate cloak wasn’t going to be a good fit.”

“More and more boomers are figuring out they have to become a brand and if they really want to gain control of their destiny they have to start their own business.”

“You have to be curious. You have to get back to that child-like curiosity to be successful.”